


Night Swim

by copper_wasp



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Author Crying Over The Blue Lions, Friendship, Gen, Post-Time Skip, Swimming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2021-01-15 12:51:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21253685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/copper_wasp/pseuds/copper_wasp
Summary: The Valley of Torment was hot, and the pond was enticingly cool.





	Night Swim

**Author's Note:**

> *cries forever over Dima and the Blue Lions*

“I don’t think I’ll ever be cool again,” Sylvain lamented, plopping down on one of the makeshift seats Byleth had pulled together in a circle next to the pond.

“You were never cool to begin with,” Felix replied, picking at his nails as he leaned back against the brick wall.

“No, that’s not-!” Sylvain began with a sigh, “I meant _temperature_ cool, you ass.”

Felix barked a laugh, and Byleth knew that smirk would be a fixture on his face for the rest of the night. She and her students - it felt awkward to be calling them that still - had just returned from a long, hot journey into the Valley of Torment, luckily with Rodrigue and his much needed soldiers and supplies in tow. Mercedes had suggested they sit outside after their meal to enjoy the cool night air.

Byleth sat closest to the pond, Sylvain to her left and the pier to her right, the gentle breeze brushing over her grateful skin. Though the battle had been rough, and they had been forced to end the life of a respectable knight, Byleth was... happy. She let her eyes wander over her students, her brothers and sisters in arms, her _friends,_ feeling a not unpleasant pull of affection for each of them.

Sylvain and Felix were arguing over something, girls, most likely, Annette and Mercedes were patching up a few rips in each other’s cloaks, and Ingrid was sharpening her lance, completely focused on the shining blade. Ashe was reading by the light of the fire that had been set up in the center of their circle, and Dimitri was nowhere to be found, as per usual. Seteth, Flayn, and Gilbert all decided to take a well deserved early night of rest, and Byleth couldn’t fault them when she saw the tired look in their eyes.

Byleth couldn’t help but think of Dimitri; he was on her mind every spare moment she had. He had said some cruel things to her, to all of them, really, but she wasn’t angry with him. She had no right to be. She had disappeared for five years, and he hadn’t told her anything more than what was necessary about what had happened to him during that time. He was profoundly broken. Byleth didn’t know if she could fix him, or if he even wanted to be fixed. Would he shatter completely once his vision of revenge was seen through to the end, Edelgard’s head on a pike at the gates of Enbarr? Would he give up living once her blood stained his blade?

She noticed that everyone had gone silent, and shook her head gently to pull herself out of her thoughts. Following their collective gazes, Byleth’s eyes landed on the boar himself, walking slowly over to them from the direction of the front gates. Mercedes tried to start up conversation with Annette again, the rest of them following suit after Dimitri didn’t seem to want to fight with any of them for the moment.

His uncovered eye was fixed in front of him, but Byleth noticed it slid over to her form as he got closer. She gave him a sad smile, fidgeting her hands in her lap, but he only looked away from her when he passed.

“Dimitri,” she said softly, noticing a slight hitch in his carefully measured steps. “Would you like to join us?” She hoped he would read the sincerity in her voice, her gentle wish to connect with him again as they had so many years ago.

“No,” he replied, continuing on his way to the dormitories.

“_Please,_” she begged, surprising even herself with the desperation in her voice. Dimitri paused, cloak swishing at his feet, and he turned just enough to look at her. She could see the struggle on his face, and she had the overwhelming urge to leap forward and embrace him, but she restrained. Sylvain stood, offering Dimitri his wooden box-seat, and scurried over to the opposite side of Felix, who was looking thoroughly unimpressed with the entire exchange.

Byleth shot him a look before delicately raising her gaze to Dimitri once again. He was looking at her intensely, but Byleth met his stare with her own, soft green eyes silently pleading with him.

She bit her lip when he sat on the proffered box, pulling his thick cloak tightly around him. She had no idea how he was cold, but that minor concern was pushed to the side as she looked at him - _really_ looked at who he’d become.

He looked beaten, run down, completely exhausted, and she felt for him. Felt for him in a multitude of ways - as his teacher, his comrade, his friend. She wanted to help him, take his pain, soothe the nightmares that would plague him. Quiet the voices that tortured him. Byleth had stood outside his door, hearing his pained groans and grumbled pleas to make it stop, but she hadn’t been able to force it open, stride over to his thrashing form and cradle him in her arms, pressing her lips against his sweat-damp hair, humming softly to him until he calmed.

Dimitri would have to want to change first, before anything she could do would take hold.

Annette pulled Byleth back into conversation, asking her to help her do some research in the library the following day, and Byleth nodded in assent, her eyes still focused on Dimitri.

He was close to her, but still so far away. She scooted to the edge of her seat, slowly reaching her fingers out towards him, just wanting a single touch, a reminder that he hadn’t turned into a ghost himself.

She heard Sylvain groan loudly from across the way, and Byleth quickly pulled her hand back into her lap.

“Okay, that’s it, I’m going swimming,” he declared, quickly pulling off pieces of his armor, letting them clang to the stone floor.

“You’re doing what?” Felix asked, doing the group a favor, as everyone had a confused look on their faces.

“Going-“ He pulled his shirt off over his head- “swimming.” Sylvain’s divested himself of his leggings, leaving him only in his undergarments. Byleth’s eyes went wide as he streaked past her down the pier, leaping off the end into a killer cannonball.

She couldn’t help the gleeful laugh that escaped her, watching intently as she waited for him to surface.

“What are you all waiting for? Water’s fine!” the redhead called out, floating on his back and kicking himself around the pond. There was a pregnant pause, the only sounds the crackling of the fire and Sylvain’s splashing, before Ingrid calmly set her lance on the ground, standing and ridding herself of all her armor. She dipped a toe tentatively into the water at the edge, deciding that Sylvain’s assessment was correct, before pulling the ties from her hair and elegantly diving in.

Byleth looked over at Dimitri, who was watching with a stoic expression. His gaze met hers again, and she gave him a grin, swearing she saw his face soften just a tiny bit.

Annette and Ashe quickly followed suit, both cannon-balling off the pier in an attempt to splash Sylvain as much as possible. Byleth’s attention was focused on the water, but her eyebrows raised when Felix stalked past her, tugging his hair out of its signature topknot.

“Why am I doing this?” he asked himself before walking straight off the pier and into the water.

“Feeeelix!” Sylvain exclaimed, immediately dunking his friend’s head back under the water, much to the swordsman’s annoyance.

“C’mon, Professor!” Annette yelled, swimming over to the edge. Byleth looked self consciously at herself, then over to Dimitri, who was still laser focused on her.

Why not? she thought to herself, removing her coat and boots, stripping down until she was disrobed adequately, but not inappropriately. Sparing one last look at Dimitri, Byleth took a running dive off the pier to much applause from her former students.

The bite of cold caressed her skin, finally cooling her boiling blood. The Valley’s heat had truly followed them back to Garreg Mach, and though she’d never feed his ego, Sylvain was right, this was a good idea.

Regardless of intense coaxing, Mercedes steadfastly refused to jump in with the rest of the group, but she did eventually take her boots off and sit on the edge, letting her feet dangle into the cool water.

After the initial excitement wore off, Byleth allowed herself to float on her back, gently kicking around, focusing on the myriad of stars above her. It was nice, having this short moment of respite amongst the chaos.

Byleth heard a soft splash, maneuvering her body upright again, about to congratulate Mercedes on joining them, when she saw a blonde head break the surface of the water.

Mercedes was still sitting at the edge, she and Annette both trying to hide their hopeful smiles as they watched Dimitri swim over towards Byleth.

He didn’t say anything to her, just pushed his hair back off his forehead, letting her see his full face for the first time since her house had returned to the monastery. He was just as beautiful as she remembered, the years taking none of his refined looks away. Even the scar over his right eye was beautiful, she decided, surprised that he had removed his eyepatch as well.

Byleth reached out to touch him, her small hand gently cupping his cheek. His brow furrowed, and he tensed slightly, but Byleth didn’t move. He relaxed into her touch after a long moment, letting out a puff of breath. She felt her chest tighten - Dimitri probably hadn’t had anyone touch him in five years, at least not with affection. He let his good eye close, his hands reaching for Byleth’s free one. She placed it in his just beneath the surface of the water, Dimitri squeezing tightly, like she was his lifeline, the only thing keeping him from sinking.

The two of them stayed in the cool water for a long time, past when the skin of their fingers started to prune and the others had left for bed.

Dimitri hadn’t said anything to Byleth, their only company the gentle sounds of the water lapping against their bodies, the quiet calm of it all soothing their minds.

When she suggested they get some rest, he nodded, at last letting go of her hand to hoist himself out of the pond. He proffered his hand to her to help her out, which she gratefully took. Instead of letting her go, he wrapped his arms around her in an embrace, pressing his cheek against her wet hair.

“Thank you,” Dimitri said softly, almost choking on the words. He released Byleth abruptly, spinning around and walking with those carefully measured steps to grab his cloak and dry clothing. He walked away without a backwards glance, and Byleth watched him, dripping onto the stone until his form was swallowed up by the dark.

The tears flowed down her cheeks before she realized she was crying, and she sunk to the ground, unable to stop the smile from forming on her lips.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> Find me on:  
Tumblr: [copper-wasp](https://copper-wasp.tumblr.com/)  
Twitter: [copper_wasp_](https://twitter.com/copper_wasp_)


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